Employee wellness programs have become a popular strategy for employers trying to control costs, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust 2013 Employer Health Benefits Survey.

According to a new survey from CVS/pharmacy, less than half of those surveyed (46%) were more likely to get a flu shot this year following last season's late flu outbreak. However, many more (59%) said they consider it a social responsibility to get the flu shot every year in order to keep their community healthy and minimize the spread of the influenza virus.

To celebrate this Independence Day, Oral-B and NASCAR driver Ryan Newman are teaming up with Hope for the Warriors, a national nonprofit organization that assists post-9/11 service members, to help veterans reintegrate into the civilian workforce.

This commitment is part of Oral-B’s Built in the USA campaign, which celebrates the brand’s commitment to the American workforce and American-built products, including its Pro-Health All-in-One manual toothbrush, which is built in Iowa City, Iowa.

The year appears to be off to a good start, and CVS Caremark executives were optimistic Wednesday morning as the company pulled in a “strong” first quarter and narrowed its 2013 guidance to reflect higher-than-expected performance.

The increased availability of generics combined with CVS Caremark's generic dispensing rate of 77.4% helped reduce spending on traditional medications by 3.6% for the company's commercial clients, according to its newly released annual insights report.

The landmark launch of Orasure Technologies' OraQuick In-Home HIV test last year was a key driver behind the 5.4% growth in the home-test kit category for the 12 weeks ended Dec. 30 across U.S. multi-outlets, according to SymphonyIRI Group data.

Over-the-counter products across the front-end are becoming a more and more important profit driver for independent pharmacy operators, Hamacher Resource Group and the Healthcare Distribution Management Association revealed as part of new research titled "Independent Pharmacy Shoppers: Who, What, and Why?"

Rite Aid last week posted a third quarter profit of $61.9 million, marking the first time Rite Aid has been back in the quarterly black since June 2007. The quarterly report beat analyst expectations as the generic wave and retention of Express Scripts customers helped drive better-than-expected adjusted EBIDTA.

It's certainly a timely Christmas gift that Rite Aid delivered to those shareholders who believed in the Pennsylvania pharmacy operation when it's stock hovered around $1 per share; in the week following the third quarter conference call Rite Aid's stock price was up some 40%.

The lower cost of OTCs was cited as the primary reason consumers have increased and plan to increase their OTC usage, according to an online survey of more than 900 AccentHealth viewers conducted in September.

"Year over year, viewers appear to be getting more cost-conscious," said Natalie Hill, AccentHealth VP market research, noting that 39% of viewers suggested that lower costs associated with OTC medicines would drive increased usage in the coming year, as compared with 29% who cited cost as the main driver behind increased OTC use in the past year.

As many as 26% of consumers increased their usage of over-the-counter products in the past year, according to an online survey of more than 900 AccentHealth viewers conducted in September. Anticipated increases in OTC use for the upcoming year are driven by those who have already reported a rise in usage in the past year.

Walmart’s pharmacy footprint is poised for its most meaningful expansion in decades, thanks to shifting capital expenditure priorities that have begun to favor more aggressive expansion of smaller stores.

SPECIAL REPORTS

It’s done. A hearing aid category specific to the over-the-counter arena was signed into law in August; all that remains to be created is the regulatory framework. Read more in this special report. Read more...

IN THIS ISSUE

Drug Store News examines the biggest trends in the private label space; offers an update on the generics market; spotlights the biggest OTC trends; finds out how influencers are being used by beauty brands; and much more!Read more...